Holly Can Be Deadly, But So Can Her Life
by FrickinSunny
Summary: Hollyberry Curtis has a lot of brothers, extended and biological. Their names are Ponyboy, Sodapop, Darry, Dally, Johnny, Two-Bit, and Steve. She loves all of them, but lately she feels weird around them. Could she like one of them...? (ATTN: Does not include book's plot, Dally and Johnny live, and includes OC/one of the guys. Rated T for language and some minor adult situations.)
1. Chapter 1

My name is Hollyberry Curtis and I have too many 'brothers'. I've come to this conclusion from the fact that I have three real brothers and four other guys who have been around me so long they're practically brothers. This is obviously a problem. In addition to being the only girl between seven guys, I have the pleasure (burden) of being fifteen years old. Again the problem of my brothers arises, because of my twin brother Ponyboy. I love him more than anything, but having a twin brother at my age is more work than it should be. Besides him there's twenty-year-old Darry, eighteen-year-old Two-Bit, seventeen-year-olds Sodapop, Steve, and Dally, and sixteen-year-old Johnny. Darry and Soda are my biological brothers and the rest are add-ons. Think you can't keep up with our family? Don't worry. It's not like I can either.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of all the boys fighting what seemed like right outside the door of my room. With a sigh, I heaved myself out of bed and lurched toward the door. My hair was a mess, I was only wearing Pony's boxers and a t-shirt, and goddammit if I didn't walk straight to the kitchen to get some chocolate cake for breakfast. As I looked around for where they'd put it, I realized they were staring at me silently. I turned to look at them only to discover that they were trying not to burst out laughing. "What are you lookin' at, hoods?"

Two-Bit was the first to bust his gut. "Golly, what sewer did you crawl out of, girl?" he hollered between laughs. This goaded the rest of the fools to start laughing along with him. A stoic look took over my face as I calmly walked up to Two-Bit. You could've cut the tension with a knife when I asked quietly, "Keith?" His face had gone pale and he didn't respond, just looked at me with wide eyes. The boys all looked at us with buggy eyes. Without warning, I threw my fist into his gut. Now, don't be mistaken- I'm pretty strong after growing up round this bunch. So it hurt. Quite a bit.

A loud yowl of pain followed by a string of curses leaked out of a doubled over Two-Bit. I smiled unforgivingly and plopped on the couch, grabbing a piece of the chocolate cake that had been left on the end table. The boys were all laughing loudly and yelling catcalls at poor Two-Bit, whose face was contorted by pain and anger. "Don't twist your face like that, honey, or it'll get stuck," I said sweetly. His steel gray eyes darted to me and yet more obscenities came out.

Suddenly a deep and authoritative voice boomed, "What in the hell did you just call my sister?" Once again every voice was silent and every eye was fixed on Darry's hard set face. When no one answered he asked, "Well? What did you call her?" Two-Bit straightened with a grimace. "Holly done near knocked my innards out. It's all good." I stood up too and moved next to Two-Bit. "C'mon, Dar, don't get mad. We was just messin' around. It wasn't nothing serious."

Darry looked as though he was debating whether or not to kick Two-Bit's head in, but his ambivalent expression soon became a smirk. He stepped forward and threw his arm around Two-Bit's thick neck. They tussled for a moment before pushing away with matching smiles. Everyone relaxed and conversation started back up. The fools were all ignoring the perfectly good couch, so I took the opportunity to stretch across it. I watched as Ponyboy broke away from the talk and came to the couch, nudging my shoulder with his knee. Rolling my eyes, I sat up so he could sit down and laid my head in his lap.

"Hey, brother of mine," I said tiredly. He smiled slightly. "Morning, sister of mine. You goin' to school today?" I mulled that over in my head. Usually I didn't even bother with school. I was just like Soda in that I couldn't stomach that place. I wasn't as smart as Pony or as athletic as Darry; school was torture for me. Even Darry agreed I shouldn't care about school. I just had to show up enough so that the truancy officers stayed off my tail. Most days I palled around town with one of the boys or worked at the Dairy Queen.

"I dunno, Pony-baby." He frowned at the nickname. I'd called him it since we were little kids. We were Holly-baby and Pony-baby. "Please, sis? I hate the thought of you out getting into trouble without me." I scoffed. My protective twin thought that anytime I wasn't in his sights I was out wreaking havoc on our fair city. He was right, but he was still overly protective of me. It came with the whole brother thing and the fact that I was ten minutes younger. "Pony, I'm probably gonna go out with Dally and Johnny today."

At the sound of his name, Dally looked over at me. "You comin' out with me today, little lady?" I smiled and said, "If you and Johnnycake can handle me!" He smirked easily and threw an arm over Johnny's thin shoulders. "I think me and Johnny can handle ya, spitfire, so long as you ain't tuggin' around them brothers of yours." I laughed. Even though we were joking, he was right about the fact that my brothers and I could sure find us some trouble. It came a-sniffin' at us. Tulsa wasn't big enough for the four of us, you know.

Pony frowned at me and looked at Dally. Say what you want about Dally scaring the tar out of anyone, but right then I was scared _for _him. Ponyboy's face was dark and foreshadowing as he said firmly, "You take care a my sister, hear?" I rolled my eyes and sat up, kissing Pony's cheek quickly. "Alright, down boy. I'm gonna go get ready and then let's you, me, and Johnny head off," I said calmly with the last part directed at Dally.

I rushed to my room and threw on jeans and a tank top. There wasn't a second wasted as I ran a brush through my hair, shoved my feet into my converse, and tucked a blade into my pocket. Just in case. Two-Bit had given it to me and I never left without it. It was both good luck and protection. Before, I ran back into the living room, I looked at myself in the mirror. Shifty bottle glass green eyes, dark brown hair to the middle of my back, tanned skin. I looked different from all my brothers. Most people didn't think we were really related, even with my real brothers. But once they got to know us, they could easily see how alike we were. We were a family. The thought of my brothers infuriated me and made me smile all at the same time.

Still with my goddamned smile, I rushed out to meet Dally and Johnny. Maybe something exciting'd happen. It felt like it.


	2. Chapter 2

Johnny, Dally, and I walked down the dilapidated street at an easy pace. The boys each had lit cigarettes and it took all my willpower not to ask for one. I'd been trying to cut smoking but it was rough. All the guys smoked except for Darry and Sodapop, even Pony. It wasn't my idea to try and quit. I'd just as happily die of lung cancer, which would happen if Darry wouldn't treat me like a baby. I'm technically the youngest so all my brothers baby me. It pisses me right off.

I chewed a piece of gum ferociously to get my mind off my need for a weed when Dally said, "Let's go down to the Dingo. Ain't been there in a while and the guys are dyin' to get a look at our very own spitfire." He smirked and ruffled my hair. Though he joked about guys hitting on me, Dally'd never stand for it. He would have any guy that hit on me with a shiner and a busted kneecap before I could say hi.

"I don't mind goin' and seein' the girls. They're bound to be down there instead a school today," I said with a laugh. By girls I meant some of the greaser girls that lived in and around our neighborhood. We were all pretty good buddies and I didn't get to see them as much as I'd like. Sides, hood girls were the only ones who'd hang out with me. I was basically a greaser even though my hair was always clean. I was riff-raff. No Soc in her right mind would go near me.

Johnny didn't say anything, so Dally lead the way to the Dingo. It didn't take too long and we were there with daylight to spare. The boys went off to go see everyone and get caught up on the latest gossip. I swear, hoods are worse than old biddies with their swappin' stories 'bout who got hauled in, who whipped who, who got together or broke up with who, who got out a jail, who stole what and where and why. While the boys went to get their news, I headed over to see my girlfriends.

I have three pretty damn close girlfriends, and they stood in a group as I went to them. There was Tammi, a blond who had ice chip eyes like Darry and a colorful vocabulary; Rochelle, a brunette with soft gray eyes and a pretty smile; and Lola, a spacey albino-looking girl with her white hair and pale green eyes that seemed to bore straight through to your soul. As soon as they saw me they erupted into a loud bout of questioning 'bout where I'd been, what'd been up, and how the boys were. I giggled and yelled with them and just caught up for a moment. However we were soon onto the gossip.

"Holly, you would not _believe _who that tramp Ginger got with," Tammi said in a tone that so clearly portrayed how astounding it was. "She fucked Jesse Abraham, that Tiber Street Tiger! Girl, you should have seen what his gal Opal did to that broad. She wiped the goddamn floor with that slut! Whipped her good and hard, she did. It was hilarious to see her get what she deserved." Tammi, while one of the best friends ever, could be extremely hypocritical. She was a quite a tramp and a huge slut-shamer. It irritated me sometimes.

Rochelle smacked Tammi's arm playfully while Lola looked around dreamily. "Tam, be nice. Didn't Ginger once let you off the hook for talkin' sweet to Trevor?" Trevor was Ginger's boyfriend, or ex since the time Tammi got with him. It was after the sweet-talking incident, which Ginger did let Tam off for. She didn't let her off for hooking up with Trevor, though. Tammi's still got the scar where broad pulled a blade and sparked a feud that's still going onto this day.

As Rochelle and Tammi argued good-naturedly, Dally sauntered up to our little group, a smirk settled on his elfish face. "Couldn't help but overhear you gals gossipin' over here like a couple a damned grannies," he teased. Tammi rolled her eyes. "Dallas Winston, din't anyone ever teach you any manners?" Unlike pretty much everyone else in existence, Tammi was not afraid to mouth off to Dally. He knew her, after all, and would never hit her.

"I don't have any manners, little girl." A wolfish grin replaced his smirk and he looked over to me. "Come on, spitfire. We got other places to be and Darry'd have my ass if I left you here." I scowled. "Can't y'all just hold on a minute and let me catch up with my girls?" I asked angrily. When the stupid smile didn't drop, I rolled my eyes and looked at Tammi, Lola, and Rochelle. "See you gals later!"

I followed Dally as he weaved his way to where Johnny leaned against a car alone. "Move it, Johnnycakes. Shit's 'bout to happen and we're out." Johnny's black eyes looked confused and he asked, "Wha's goin' on, Dal?" Dally cussed impatiently. "Someone's gonna get hurt. I know it, don't question me. Let's go." He stalked away without another word. Johnny, to his credit, didn't say anything else and put an arm around me to steer us towards Dal.

Before we reached him, a big, muscly hood named Gabe stepped in front of us. I recognized him because Dally sometimes talked to him while we were here. His beady brown eyes leered at the both of us, particularly me. "Hey, Holly girl. Last I saw you was a tiny thing, now lookit you. All grown up and filled out like a real gal. You sure are lookin' mighty nice, girl. How's about you and me go back to my place and have a little fun?" His breath smelled foul, like booze and smoke. What made him even worse was the fact that he was a real hood and old, too- at least twenty five.

Gabe went to say something else, his eyes fixed on my chest, when I heard Dally's cold voice. "You best leave her alone." Gabe smirked. "Or you'll do what, Dal? I'll whip you good, you damn prick. Leave me to this sweet lil' thing here." I looked up at Dally only to see that his face was hard and intimidating. Johnny's hand had dropped from my shoulder and Dally's replaced it as he said, "Say one more thing about Holly and I'll fucking cut your throat."

A sick smile crossed Gabe's face and he stepped closer to look even farther down my shirt. "You're just jealous 'cause you can't hook up with her and she wouldn't even want ya. She'd want me, though, 'cause I'll fuck her straight through the-" He was cut off by Dally's fist to his face. There was an awful sound like crumpling metal and Gabe went down. Johnny and Dally both whipped out their blades and jumped on him.

Johnny got in a deep cut on his arm and Dally grazed his throat. Blood welled like tears and trickled down his neck. He tried to throw a punch, but Johnny just sliced across his knuckles. I barely registered their angry cries through my intense panic. What to do, what do I do? Suddenly I snapped out of it and threw myself on Dally's back, gripping his arm. "Stop it! Stop it right fucking now!"

Breathing heavily, the boys stood up. Gabe laid dazedly on the ground, blood smeared all over him. Dally shook my hand off his arm and stormed off with Johnny in tow. I cursed quietly and followed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Quick note: It's been brought to my attention that Dally and Johnny were kind of out of character in the last chapter. To address this, just let me say this is my first Outsiders fic, so it's a bit hard trying to figure out exactly what everyone would do. Forgive me on that, if you will. Also there's certain story elements that haven't been brought into play yet simply because I enjoy the mystery, so that has a hand in the out-of-character-ness. The gang's personalities have been tweaked just a little because of the unknown (at least to you guys) elements. Basically, just bear with me y'all. It'll all make sense soon enough. By the way, thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews. They pretty much make my day :) Now on to the story!**

* * *

If my life were a cartoon, steam would have been coming out of my ears right about then. I was royally pissed at Dally and Johnny for going off the freakin' deep end on Gabe. Sure, he was a slimy reptile who deserved a bullet between the ears, but that was way out of line. They didn't have to cut him up like that. We could've just left and saved ourselves the trouble, but those two idiots just _had_ to go and pull blades. They could have gotten hurt real bad, and I was sure Gabe's friends would go for them.

It had also surprised me to see Dally and Johnny attack Gabe like that. We weren't a rough gang, hardly ever got into fights. At least, we didn't used to. Now it seemed that the boys were ready to fight whenever- usually because of me. It was always greasers, too. Greaser guys always hit on me and talked dirty to me ever since what had happened a few months earlier. It's not like I provoked it, either. I stayed away from most guys. They were the ones that came onto me.

Anyhow, I ran after the two knuckleheads like my life depended on it. It was pretty difficult given that both of them were taller and had longer legs than me. "Will you two morons just fucking stop?" I yelled. "Please, it's hard to keep up!" Goshamighty, I needed a cigarette. It would have calmed me down and then maybe I wouldn't have to kill Johnny and Dally. Maybe.

Soon enough they slowed to a walk and I caught up with them. I could see Johnny flashing me quick apologetic glances from the other side of Dally, who said nothing at all. With a frustrated growl, I stood in front of them. They stopped short and neither said a word. "What was that? You two just went berserk for no reason! What the hell?" I asked loudly. My hands had balled into tiny fists that rested on my hips.

Johnny, having lost his confidence from before the fight, stuttered, "W-we're real so-sorry, Holly. We was j-just tryin' ta protect ya." I rolled my eyes. Why did everyone always try to protect me? I was a big girl. Just because things got out of hand one time didn't mean that I was incapable of taking care of myself. Even with my exasperation, my voice was a bit softer when I chided, "Johnnycake, you don't have to do that. I ain't a fragile little thing. I'm tough enough."

Dally snorted in derision at that. I turned to glare at him. "What're you scoffin' at, Winston? You're the one who started that whole mess! You could a gotten yourselves killed doin' somethin' fool as that." He matched my glare and for once, there was no smirk on his face or in his voice as he said coldly, "Yeah, you're welcome for savin' you back there, ya goddamn broad." I could feel my face heating up in anger. Oh, was this boy in for it.

"I didn't ask you ta save me. And even if I did, you didn't have ta cut him up like that! What if you and Johnny got hurt?" I shouted, my voice rising with every word. I was fighting back tears at this point. They weren't angry tears, no. These were worried tears. It almost surprised me how I realized I wasn't paralyzed so much by fear back there, but by panic about what could happen to the guys. If they had gotten hurt, I don't know if I could live with myself.

"Will you just shut the fuck up about Johnny an' me? If we hadn't a intervened, he'd a taken you home and had his goddamn way with you! Now quit bitchin' about this, Holly! It's over. Done," he spat back. His voice had risen to the point where we were both just screaming at each other. Dally's eyes were wide and filled with anger and something else. I couldn't identify it, but it sent a shiver down my spine to look at it. It was a lot different from how icy those eyes usually were.

Johnny looked back and forth between us wildly. His black eyes were shiny and wet with fear. He hated it when Dally and I fought, which we did a lot. Our personalities were so alike that they clashed all the time. We'd talked about it once before, Johnny and me. He'd said he hated our fighting so much because it sounded just like his parents fighting, 'cept we never hit each other or him. But this time, I thought we just might come to blows.

"I wouldn't have let him do anything to me! I woulda killed him first! You don't always need to step in, Dal; sometimes I can take care of me too," I snarled hatefully. And with that, I spun on my heel and walked back towards home. No tellin' who might be there, but either way it was better than being near Dally. I couldn't stand him like this, or any of the guys really. I hated it when they did shit like this 'cause they almost always got hurt. It killed me to think that they got hurt because they fought for me.

I wiped the hot tears from my eyes as I walked fast as I could. This was all just so fucking stupid and it was all because of what happened a few months prior...

* * *

_I walked back from the Dingo, where I'd spent most of the night with Tammi, Rochelle, and Lola. It was pitch black and cold with the street lamps as my only light. Had to be at least one in the morning. Darry was gonna rip me a new one when I got home, and Soda and Pony'd help him. They were all probably worryin' themselves to death. It was kind of sweet how they all cared so much, but it got annoying real fast. I mean, I'd just turned fifteen. They didn't need to worry so much._

_Pulling my jacket tighter around myself, I walked a little faster. Something felt wrong. I felt like someone was watching me. Panic started to rise in my chest as I heard footsteps behind me. I didn't dare look, too afraid of what I'd see if I did. Oh god, please let it just be passerby. Please let it not be anything bad. Please let them not see me. I was silent as I picked up the pace just a bit more. A yell almost escaped my mouth when I heard the footsteps quicken as well._

_It wasn't very long before strong hands gripped my upper arms and shoved me against the fence that stood next to the sidewalk. There were three guys in front of me, all huge and smelling of alcohol. The one who held my arms leaned in close. His boozy breath washed over my face and I cringed. "Hey there, pretty girl. You wanna have a little fun with me and the boys here? We couldn't help but notice you and you're lookin' mighty fine." He hissed the last part and pressed himself against me._

_I stretched my fingers toward my pocket for my switch, but I couldn't quite get it. "Leave me alone," I tried to say angrily, but it came out as more of a whimper. The guy holding me, who seemed to be the leader of the three, laughed cruelly and took a hand off my arm to run it over my cheek roughly. Suddenly he gripped my chin tight and held both my wrists with his other hand. "Shut up, bitch. We're all gonna have a lil' fun tonight. I promise you'll enjoy it."_

_They dragged me into a nearby house with me kicking and screaming the whole way. One of the guys slapped me and another covered my mouth. They got me into the house and as they put it, 'had a little fun with me.' After a couple hours of being used and abused, I dragged my bruised body back home. Every step hurt. I could still feel their hands, still hear them call me every awful thing imaginable, still taste them. My clothes were stained and ripped in places from where they'd torn them off and shoved them back on._

_When I stumbled into the house at nearly four am, my brothers took one look at me and instantly wanted to know what had happened. I couldn't say anything for fear I'd scream. Instead I fell crying into Pony's arms. He held me on the couch as the sun rose, stroking my hair and holding me as close as possible. Soda and Darry were on the other sides of us. They each had an arm around Pony and me. We stayed like that for a long time and it was even longer before I could tell them what happened._

* * *

I still can't forget that night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews, all. You're too kind. I'm just gonna reply to a review real quick, but skip it if you'd rather read.**

**Mrs Pony Curtis: Sorry, I didn't mean to sound defensive. And actually, the rape happened a couple months before, maybe 3 or 4. One thing about the whole transformation in Johnny gig is that Johnny basically views Holly as his little sister and good guys will do anything for their sisters (even if they won't admit it). Not all my aces have been played either, so maybe that'll clear your confusion eventually. And let me stop you with the Dally turning soft thing right there. The characters may be changed a little, but no. Not that. I can't stand those stories and there's no way in hell this'll be one of them. Hope that covers everything and thanks for the review.**

* * *

I threw open the door to my house, still wiping the moisture from my eyes. I hated crying. It made me feel too vulnerable and weak and I couldn't stand those feelings. As I rubbed away the last of my tears, I saw Two-Bit in the kitchen, holding a beer and looking at the fridge. "Two-Bit? What in god's name are you doin' in my kitchen, boy?" I called. I would be normal. I wouldn't make him worry about me. I had to act like I was okay.

The tall greaser looked at me with a wide grin. "Hey berry girl, ready for round two?" I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen where I hopped up on the counter top. "Why ain't you in school? Did they finally tell you you was too old to be a junior?" I laughed at my own wisecrack. Two-Bit just drank his beer, the smile still on his face. I swear, that boy'll be grinnin' when he dies. He's so happy all the time. No one else agrees with me, but he reminds me a bit a Soda.

"Aw, shoot, girl. They're never gonna kick me out. Who else is gonna make everyone's life better?" I scoffed at that and thumped my fist on top of his head. "The only thing you do is make it funnier 'cause you're stupid." Two-Bit looked at me in mock anger, set his beer down, and looped his arm round my neck to bring me off the counter. He rubbed his fist quickly on top a my head just to mess up my hair. I struggled for a moment and finally just bit his arm.

"Damn, Holly, you tryin' ta bite my arm off?" He rubbed his arm while I giggled, then looked around. His gunmetal gray eyes were confused as he asked, "Hey, wasn't you with Dally and Johnny? Where are they?" I scowled and crossed my arms over my chest. I'd hoped he wouldn't notice 'bout Dal and Johnny, but apparently no such luck. Two-Bit gave me a hard stare, not laughing for once. "I'm serious. What happened?"

I looked at my feet and muttered, "They cut up some asshole and Dally an' I fought." I ignored the half-surprised, half-pissed look on his face and went to Pony and Soda's room. Two-Bit's footsteps were loud behind me as I searched through Pony's stuff for a cigarette. My hands trembled weakly, my forehead beaded with anxious sweat. I was trying so hard to act normal. I really was, but it was just so difficult, especially with my withdrawal. It was tough enough to try and act like everything was okay, and without cigarettes? I was dying.

Soon I produced a weed and lighter from Pony's desk. I could feel Two-Bit's eyes on me as I lit up quickly and took a deep drag. "Ain't you s'posed to be quittin' that shit?" he asked incredulously. A thin curl of smoke twirled out of my mouth and I shrugged. Quitting smoking was gettin' too hard. I had to tell Darry that I wasn't gonna stop. I needed to feel the smoke dancing in my lungs to calm me down, needed to have something that would stop my shaking. "Mind your own damn business, boy. I'll smoke when I want."

Two-Bit sighed. "Come on, girlie. So you fought with Dal. You know he wouldn't hold a grudge 'gainst ya. Y'all will be fine." He put a hand on my shoulder and continued gently, "You been workin' so hard on this quittin' thing. Don't throw that away 'cause you're pissed. Shoot, Holly, you ain't smoked in two weeks. You can do it." I growled. Much to my chagrin, he was right. I had been working hard on quitting this dirty habit. It was stupid to flush it down the toilet now. But I was a stupid girl.

I took another long, lazy drag. Smoke puffed into the air as I said quietly, "I don't really want to, though." The room was awkwardly quiet for a moment before I stubbed out the weed on Pony's bedside ashtray I'd given him for our birthday. I wiped my hands on my jeans to get any of the ashes off. If there's one thing that pissed me off, it was the feeling of leftover ashes. I hated it. "Come on, dummy. Let's go make somethin' to eat. I'm starvin' over here, Christ."

We didn't talk about the cigarette while we pulled out stuff for sandwiches. Two-Bit pulled out the bag of bread with only four pieces left in it and I pulled out a container of generic lunch meat that was also nearly empty. Grocery day wasn't till tomorrow, so we were pretty much out of everything. That included stuff for sandwiches, meaning Two-Bit and I dined on lunch meat and nothing sandwiches. "Food fit for a king," I said in a mock posh accent as I held a sandwich up triumphantly.

"If by kings you mean slaves, then girl, we're as good as it gets." I laughed at that and we tapped our sandwiches together before digging in. Two-Bit and I, we were close even though we fought. We had the same stance on most things: laughing at or ignoring the problem will make it go away. Sure, it wasn't very effective in the long run. Most of the time it didn't work out too well. But you don't think about that when you're actually in the moment and thinking of a solution. You think of what works then. You think of what hurts less then.

I think Two-Bit's different around me than around the guys, probably 'cause I don't expect nothin' out of him. I don't care if he's always flappin' his gums or clamming up all the time. Not to say I don't care about him- I do. It's just that I don't demand that he always be on his toes and upbeat like the guys do. See, I've learned some stuff about them boys over the years, and one of the things I've learned is that they take each other for granted. They expect Two-Bit to be mouthy, Johnny to be silent, and Sodapop to always be listening.

In their little group, they've each paired off in a sense. There are certain people they each feel comfortable letting go with, that they know don't have requirements. For my twin, it's Johnny and Soda. For Soda, it's Steve, and so on. I like to think they feel that way with me, though. I try my best not to always expect them to be the same. I do what I can to not take them for granted and to be there when they need me. They'd never admit it and I sure as hell won't, but we love each other. I can fight with them nimrods all I want, and at the end of the day I know they won't abandon me.

I ate my sandwich as I thought about that, and I realized something about my fight with Dally: we were both in the wrong and we were both too damn proud to admit it. Dally and Johnny shouldn't a gotten so outta control and I shoulda been more appreciative of what they did for me. They just wanted to protect me. While I hated being treated like some fragile flower, it still warmed my heart a bit to think that the ice king Dallas Winston and the silent boy Johnny Cade would do what they did to help me.

Goddammit. Now I had to apologize.


End file.
